New Opportunities
by Harmne
Summary: An unemployed young woman answers a strange job ad, and it leads her into the Stargate program. Post-series, but the Stargate is not yet public. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**New Opportunities**

Summary: An unemployed young woman answers a strange job ad, and it leads her into the Stargate program. Post-series, but the Stargate is not yet public.

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea. And Rai, whose name is pronounced "Ray"._

_A/N: (This chapter has been edited slightly - fixed a typo and changed my OC's name as it didn't seem to fit her.) I love Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, but this is my first venture into the fandom. I just couldn't stop thinking about 'what if...?'!_

**oOo**

Rai was there as soon as the library doors opened, as usual. For the last six months she'd come in every day, usually twice, to pour over the "help wanted" ads looking for a job - any kind of job. The librarian flagged her down and showed her the ad she'd found in the early paper.

_Help wanted: Curious people; experienced campers; PA and Admin assistants; photographers; writers; pilots; all fields of science, agriculture, mechanics, engineering and anthropology; crafters and hobbyists; strong open-minded general workers. Additional languages a plus. Call..._

Rai trailed off and looked up at the older woman behind the desk. They were acquaintances, having become fairly friendly over the past few years. At first Rai was a student finishing a degree as a medical lab tech, then she was a regular for fiction and an endless variety of how-to and craft books. The how-to books had gotten the friendship started. Mrs. Spenser had finally asked what in the world she needed with them all.

"My apartment is in a really old building," Rai explained with a smile. "So much needs fixing and my landlady is old and not very well off. If I can figure out how to do the work she will buy the supplies, and my rent stays low."

There had been plumbing first, then carpentry basics and electrical work. Then drywall and plaster repair, texturing, painting. Laying and repairing brick and stonework. Gardening. Small engine repair, then auto maintenance and repair.

Most of that was while she was working full-time as a lab tech, too. Then her hours were cut and she took a second job, and learned Spanish, Japanese, and some Chinese while working in various food services. After that she worked full-time for a while as a general worker at the small local airport and it was planes; flying, navigation, etc and she confided excitedly that she'd learned to fly and earned a pilot's license. Single engine, but instrument rated.

Then the economy crashed and first her jobs and then her unemployment dwindled away. She'd been living on savings and hope and the occasional day labor for months, taking in friends in the same position and figuring out how they could eat and get by on their pooled pennies. She told the librarian her learned skills and crafts had come in handy.

Now Rai raised her eyebrows with Mrs. Spenser over the wording of the ad.

"What in the world would one place need with so many types of people?" she wondered out loud.

"I don't have any idea, but I'd say you'd have a better than average chance at a job since you can meet several of the categories listed. You can even fly a plane!"

"Only small ones," Rai murmured absently, re-reading the ad.

"Well you should give it a shot. I would, if I wasn't about to retire."

"It doesn't even say where to send resumes or where interviews might be held. Or where the jobs might be."

Mrs. Spenser's eyebrows went up. "Does that even matter to you?" she asked.

"Well, no," sighed Rai. "Not really. Most of the friends I made since my grandfather died have moved away, so there's not much holding me here."

So she made a copy of the ad and took it to the little garden area in the courtyard of the library, and called the phone number listed.

"Personnel," came the single-word answer in a fairly pleasant woman's voice.

"I'm calling about the help-wanted ad," Rai began.

"Ah, good!" the voice exclaimed. "I have a few questions so I'll know where to connect you?"

"Um, okay."

"Thank you. First, where do you currently live?"

_Didn't they know where they ran the ad?_ "Just at the edge of Ottawa."

"Canada?"

"No. Ottawa, Kansas. It's south and west of Kansas City." _They ran the ad in Canada?_

"Pardon me! So, Kansas...Ottawa. For which position or positions would you like to apply?"

"There are several I think I might have qualifications for, so maybe...three?"

"Good, good." Rai could hear keyboard noises. "Do you enjoy traveling or would you rather stay in one place?"

"I haven't traveled much but I enjoy it."

"Are you able to relocate if the job requires it?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. Please hold and I will transfer your call."

"What?" Rai was too late, she could hear the tell-tale clicks of a phone transfer. "And why am I being transferred?" she muttered under her breath.

"So I can ask you more questions." An amused male voice answered, making her jump guiltily. "With so many positions placed in one ad we decided a little pre-sorting would help us out. My name is Eric, and I'm sorry if I startled you."

"No problem, Eric. I'm Rai."

"Good morning, Rai. So, you don't mind relocation and you enjoy travel."

"Yes, what little I've done so far."

"Where have you been?"

"Um, well, I grew up in New England with my maternal grandmother, then when she passed I came here to Kansas to take care of my fraternal grandfather. I've been to Florida on a road trip with friends, and camping in a couple of the national parks. That's about it."

"When you camped, was it in a tent or RV?"

"Tent." _Why would that possibly matter?_

"You've never been out of the USA?"

"No. Only in books!"

"So you probably only speak English?"

"Well, I can speak Spanish fairly well, and I know some Japanese and Chinese - to speak, I haven't learned to read or write much. And I know a few words in other languages that I've picked up here and there. You know, the usual 'where am I' and 'yes' and 'no', like that."

"Did you take language classes? Is that how you learned?"

"No. I was working with some people who spoke them, and I picked it up."

"Wasn't that difficult?"

"No, not really. It was kind of fun."

"Okay... So you probably have an ear for languages. That's always good." More keys clicking, reminding her that this was about a job, not just chatting. "Are you currently employed?"

"No, not right now. I was laid off several months ago."

"What job or jobs have you held?"

Rai took a deep breath and listed off her various jobs, from housekeeping and home health aide for relatives, to fast food, medical lab technician, and on down to airport employee.

"What sort of things did you do at the airport?" Eric asked curiously.

"I was a general worker and did a little bit of everything. I cleaned, was a desk clerk, answered phones, drove fuel trucks, logged flight plans, helped the mechanics, carried luggage, occasionally cooked for or provided taxi service for overnight guests - you name it."

"Did you by any chance learn anything about flying?"

"Yes!" she laughed self-consciously. "I learned to fly. But just single engines."

"Licensed?" He sounded a little excited.

"Yes, instrument rated."

"Rai, do you consider yourself to be fairly open-minded?"

THAT was a different question! "Well, yes, pretty much. I believe in right and wrong, but I don't think I'm very judgmental."

Okay. You're in Ottawa... Do you have transportation or a way to get to Olathe, Kansas?"

She blinked. "Yes, Olathe isn't far away. My car will make it."

"Can you come to an interview tomorrow?"

"Um, sure."

"All right, Rai. Here's what I want you to do. Go home and make a list of anything and everything you know how to do - even if you're not an expert. Just to give us a place to start, you understand."

"Not really..."

"Training can and will be provided, but it will help if we know what **you** know."

"Okay."

"Bring your list and your resume. Do you have an e-mail address and a phone number where you can be reached?"

She rattled both off, spelling out the e-mail address, then her name when he asked for her full name.

"Right. I'm e-mailing directions to you now. Bring your resume and your list of jobs, skills, and even hobbies with you tomorrow. Casual dress is fine; dress for comfort because it may be a long day. In fact, you might want to bring an overnight bag with necessities just in case. If it gets late and you get far enough through the process they may want to put you up somewhere so they can continue the next day."

"Seriously?"

"It has happened, and it's better to have your own things than to be unprepared, right?"

"Yes, you're right. Thanks."

"Thank you, Rai. Don't forget to check your e-mail."

She must have looked a little shocked when she went back into the library because Mrs. Spenser immediately waved her over.

"What did you find out, dear? Was it a hoax?"

"No, I think it was legit."

"Already filled?"

"No. I don't think so."

"So why do you look so - puzzled?"

"I, ah, I think the phone call was like a first-level interview. But I still don't really know what the job is."

"Do you have to wait for a call-back, then?"

"No. Second interview is tomorrow, in Olathe."

"Really?" The older woman sounded excited for her.

Thinking quickly, she asked "Mrs. Spenser, can you print a list of all the books I've checked out?"

The librarian blinked in surprise. "I think so. For what time period?"

"For the last three years? But non-fiction only, if you can do that."

"Let me see. This may take a bit," she said, and went to her computer. Rai went to one of the public computers and logged into her e-mail. In a very short time an e-mail arrived and she printed it out.

It took an hour and $5.00 worth of printer paper, but Rai left with the printed e-mail instructions and a book list. It would give her a head start on her skills and hobbies list.

By the time she got home she was beginning to feel a little excitement and even more curiosity. Why would they want to know hobbies? The e-mail had the verbal instructions Eric had given her repeated and expanded upon.

_#1 - Resume_. Check. She had some already printed and slipped a fresh one into a large manila envelope.

_#2 - Skills list_. She sat down at her computer with her book printout and got started. It took a while, and for each skill or hobby that she listed she provided a rough skill-level rating - basic, passable, or good. She also briefly described what she'd used each skill to do. It ended up being quite a list by the time she checked it off the instructions.

_#3 - Proof of citizenship, degrees, certifications, or licenses_. That didn't take long. She had her birth certificate, her driver's license, high school and medical lab tech diplomas, her technician's certificate, and her pilot's license.

_#4 - Business-casual dress, wear comfortable clothes. Walking shoes and pants recommended for women. _

Also included were directions and a map for the conference center, with the request that all interviewees be at the location by ten a.m. Lunch, beverages, and snacks would be provided.

_Curiousier and curiousier_, she thought. Maybe it wasn't a single company but something like a job fair? She'd have to wait and see.

There was nothing in the e-mail about bringing an overnight bag but Eric had made it a point to mention it, so she pulled out her backpack. She chose what to wear - her favorite black pants and a nice blouse. Her walking shoes were actually ankle-high black suede hiking boots, but they had good soles and were very comfortable even if she was on her feet a lot. Into the tote went a new, nice-looking pair of cargo pants, a knit tunic, socks and underclothes, and a tank and sleep shorts. After a few moment's thought she added her e-reader and her current crochet project. She left a space for her toiletry and makeup bags, then took a shower. She plugged in her phone to charge and went to bed early but laid awake a while, wondering...

She was up before the alarm, having slept lightly. She was too wound up to eat so she dressed and finished packing her tote, grabbed an oatmeal cookie and her water bottle, and gave herself plenty of driving time.

The map led her to one of the new conference centers on the outskirts of the city. She was early but not the first to arrive; there were a few people just inside the doors waiting for their turn at a check-in table. Everyone was being asked to sign in but keep their resumes and other paperwork for the time being.

The three people at the sign-in table were clean-cut and neatly dressed with a vaguely military air. As each applicant reached the table the first person would ask their name and have them sign in on a clipboard. The second would look it up on a small laptop and say a number, then the third person would write the name on a sticky name tag and direct the person towards a meeting room.

When it was Rai's turn, the second person, the one on the computer, looked up.

"Rai Taylor? Pilot's license?"

Rai nodded. The third person pressed a button on his lapel before handing her a name tag. Before she could move, another man in his late 20's or early 30's hustled up.

"Rai, right?" he asked, offering her his hand. "I'm Eric. We spoke on the phone yesterday."

"Oh, yes, Eric. Nice to meet you in person." And it was. He was nice looking and again there was something about him that made her think 'military'; maybe it was in his bearing. He led her away from the table in the opposite direction from where others had gone.

"Don't I need to go with..." she pointed vaguely behind them.

"Oh, no. Anyone with any flight experience goes this way first. We haven't gotten very many."

He led her to a small room with a few people sitting around a round table. There were several lean young men and an older woman with blonde hair just starting to go white. They all stood up.

"Ma'am? This is Rai Taylor. She has a pilot's license – single engine, instrument rating - the one I spoke to yesterday."

The woman nodded, smiling warmly. "Thank you, Eric."

Eric nodded to the woman, smiled at Rai, and left.

The woman turned her smile to Rai and extended a hand. "Hello, my name is Alex. Won't you sit down? May we call you Rai?" Rai nodded and they sat, the men following suit a moment later. "Eric was excited about your call yesterday. We haven't gotten many pilots."

"My license is only small single-engine planes," Rai said. "And I don't have a lot of airtime."

"That's not a problem. The aircraft we use are a little different anyway, so you'd still need training. May I see your papers?" she asked, motioning towards the manila envelope Rai carried. Rai handed it over and waited while Alex looked through them. Then Alex took up where she'd left off. "Our company has developed an unusual type of aircraft very few people have seen yet. It is very safe and generally easier to fly. We've used them for years but anyone we hire will have to train no matter their level of experience."

Rai nodded. That made perfect sense.

Alex went back through Rai's skills listing, slower this time. "You've collected quite a list of skills here, Rai. I'm impressed."

"I'm not an expert at anything on there," Rai told her. "Mainly I learned what I needed to keep our building functional. My skill level is basic to passing on most of them."

"Your building?"

"Apartment building - my landlady's. She elderly and not well off."

Alex's mouth quirked up a little. "So you probably didn't even get paid?"

"Well," Rai mentally squirmed a bit, "she let several of my friends move in, and there were times we didn't have all the rent. We did what we could to help out, to work off the difference. It has worked out fairly well so far but it's getting tight."

Alex nodded in understanding, then returned her attention to the papers. After looking through them once more she slipped them back into the envelope and returned them to Rai. "We have a flight simulator here. Since it's just us for now, would you like to give it a try? This is *not* a test; as I said, anyone hired will have to undergo training before they actually fly. But the simulator is kind of fun."

"Sure, I'd love to." Rai loved to fly but air time cost money. Simulators, at least the good ones, usually cost money too.

Alex nodded toward one of the younger men. "Jon? Would you help us with the simulator?" Then to Rai she confided, "I'm not that great. Jon can show you the basics and let you give it a try."

Jon offered his hand with an engaging grin. "I'm Jon. And you're gonna LOVE this!"

The simulator was dimly lighted and boxy on the inside, making her think more of a van than an airplane. The controls were odd, too. But the seats and the yokes were familiar, although some other instruments seemed to be missing. They sat down and Rai looked for straps.

"No seat-belts," Jon said. "No keys, either. Check this out." And with a smirk he pressed one hand to a glass plate on a console that protruded slightly between the seats. The plate flashed with blue-white light, then turned pale green and the panels lit up. A screen came on where the front windshield ought to be, with a simulated airport ground view. "These things can almost fly themselves," he continued as he took the yoke. "As long as you know what you want the craft to do, you'll be fine."

He eased the yoke back and they 'took off'. As he maneuvered he did some explaining/teaching. There were no foot pedals or flaps, and the aircraft was capable of vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter or Harrier jet. Jon brought it back around to 'land', turned it 'off', and said "Your turn!"

He said he'd talk her through it and proceeded to give her calm, clear instructions for each step. He seemed inordinately pleased when the palm-plate flashed blue-white before it turned green, but went on smoothly. Her first maneuvers were a little jerky but smoothed out quickly as she got the feel of the controls. She followed his directions - turn, climb, dive, hover (that took a little practice), etc - then landed with only the slightest simulated bump.

"That was cool!" she breathed, giving the yoke an absent minded little caress as she stood to follow Jon back out of the simulator.

There were several more people in the room wearing name tags now. Alex looked over and Jon gave her a thumb-up and a grin.

"She's a natural."

After the flight simulator Rai rejoined the main group of interviewees in a large classroom-like meeting room. There they filled out something that was between a questionnaire and a test. Rai suspected it tested for logic and maybe had some psychological factors, as some of the questions were phrased as hypothetical "what would you do" kinds of things. She thought she did okay although there was still no hint of what the job or jobs might entail.

Lunch was a catered buffet of sandwiches, salads, and fruit. Everything was very good and thankfully her nerves and her stomach had settled enough to let her enjoy her food. She sat with a group that had been around her in the meeting room and Eric came by.

"I don't suppose you can give us any hints as to what all this is leading up to? Rai asked him with a little smile.

"Nope," he answered cheerfully. "But I **can**tell you, whatever you're thinking, you're probably wrong."

"Wonderful," muttered one of the others at the table.

"Oh, I don't know," Rai said with a half-laugh. "I've got a pretty active imagination!"

Eric laughed. "Then you'll probably like it," he said enigmatically as he moved on. "Good luck!"

As the afternoon progressed there were more 'tests' and after each one they were separated into successively smaller groupings. Finally, around six in the evening, there were only ten people left in the last room Rai had entered. They all looked at each other curiously before sitting down to wait. They didn't have to wait long before an older man came in. He had gray hair, scars on his lower right arm, and the now-familiar military bearing. He wore a name tag that said "Reynolds".

He smiled at the group as he stood before them.

"Congratulations on making it this far. I'm sure you're all bursting with curiosity by now, and we won't leave you in suspense much longer. As some of you may have guessed, we are made up of both civilian and military personnel. From this point forward, what you will see and learn is classified and you will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Be aware that it is completely binding from the time you sign, and it will be strictly enforced.

Once we've taken care of that, the rest of our interview process will be held in a different location. Transport to and from is provided. If you brought an overnight bag, please go get it now and return to room 101. Anyone who chooses not to continue is welcome to leave now, no questions asked. For those who choose to continue, the NDA's will be at the door of room 101, and once everyone has signed one and logged in we'll head out. You have thirty minutes. If you have anyone waiting for you at home you might give them a call. Once we leave you will be out of touch until tomorrow afternoon."

Rai had a close parking spot and took a few minutes to call her landlady and one of her roommates and leave a message that she'd be away at least overnight, they might not be able to reach her, and that she'd call again when she knew more. Then she grabbed up her tote, locked up the battered old car, and went back inside. It appeared everyone else came back, too. The NDA's were handed out. Rai took the time to actually read it and it was pretty blunt: Any information you learned from this point forward in time was classified and was not to be spoken or written about in any location other than those specifically deemed secure, under penalty of imprisonment. She signed it, turned it in and signed a log-in sheet, then went back into room 101.

The people she'd met in the pilot's room and several of the other test administrators had come into the room and stood together in an open area at the front of the room. The woman who'd been collecting the signed papers outside the door came in, tucking the NDA's into a file, and nodded.

Reynolds raised his voice only slightly to get everyone's attention.

"Congratulations, everyone. Those of you in this room have passed our screening and can consider yourselves hired from this point, unless you decline – but we're pretty good judges of character here and we've only been wrong once so I'm not too worried. This will not be a typical job. It will take you incredible places, but from what we've seen of you most of you will thrive. Nothing I can tell you will prepare you so I'm not going to bother with that, I'll let you see it all for yourselves.

Please pick up your belongings and gather up here in the front of the room. Don't be shy, step in close, inside the blue line," he indicated a line of tape on the floor.

The interviewees looked puzzled as they complied, and the others looked...smug.

"We are heading out," Reynolds said, grinning broadly. "Prepare to be amazed."

Then he touched what Rai had thought was a tiny Bluetooth headset on his ear and said, "We're ready."

And the room disappeared in a flash of white light...


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer from first chapter applies to all chapters of this story.**

_A/N: I edited my first chapter slightly and changed my Original Character's name from Rita to Rai, as that suits the way I see her in my head much better. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone too much. The avatar/icon for the story is how I see her, the image is a composite of many faces via MorphThing (fun internet toy!). I also changed the status to 'in progress' as I would like to see where this can go. All comments, encouragement, and ideas are welcome!_

**New Opportunities 2**

**oOo**

Rai's ears popped as she blinked away the after-image from the white flash. The man standing next to her swayed slightly and made a sound in the back of his throat, and she herself felt a bit light-headed for a moment. But all that was forgotten when she looked around.

They weren't in room 101 anymore.

The small group of job-seekers had been standing facing Reynolds when the light had encompassed them. Now the wall behind Reynolds was gray metal that made her think of a ship or submarine...but how they would have gotten onto either from land-locked Olathe in the blink of an eye she had no idea.

"I'm going to make this easy on myself and just toss you into the pool, so to speak," Reynolds said with a faint smile. "Once the first shock is out of the way we'll move on. I want you all to take a good look around at where you are. It's all real, folks, but save your questions for later." He gestured with his hand that he was done and they should turn.

Rai got a weird feeling that everything had changed even before she turned and caught sight of the view. Of Earth. From _space_.

They were in a spaceship.

Around her, the other applicants were reacting – some with quiet gasps, some with louder exclamations, one sat down suddenly, and at least one with profanity. Rai found herself laughing quietly to herself, her emotions in a complex tangle she couldn't begin to sort out.

"Was it what you expected?" Eric had stepped up beside her, grinning.

"No!" she half-laughed, half-snorted. "Who would _expect_ to find themselves on a spaceship?"

"You don't seem too freaked out."

She didn't? She felt pretty freaked. "I'm... I have so many reactions going on at once I guess none of them show." Her eyes were drawn back to the large window or view-port or whatever where several of her fellow newbies had moved closer. "Surprise, shock, disbelief, excitement, curiosity- And what did Reynolds mean by 'first shock'?"

Eric chuckled. "Oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg. But I think you'll do just fine."

He moved away to speak to a few others. Rai got closer for a better look out the 'window' and exchanged a few incredulous comments with the others, then she looked around at the rest of the room. It didn't escape her notice that there guards at the doors – and that the weapons holstered at their sides weren't normal guns. They had a spaceship – did they have phasers like on the old Star Trek? She laughed at herself. Well, if they did it wouldn't surprise her a whole lot.

As the rest of the group calmed she noticed that most of the officials that had been in Olathe with them had slipped away, leaving only Eric, Jon, and Reynolds. Rai saw Reynolds nod to Eric, and Eric cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I know you all have a million questions but just hang on to them for now. At our next destination there will be a lot more information thrown at you and it will probably answer most of them anyway. For now, I'm going to lead you on a very abbreviated tour of this ship. I hope I don't need to remind any of you not to wander off or touch anything."

There was a brief, nervous chuckle from the group, then they filed in behind Eric as he led the way through one of the compartment doors into a narrow corridor.

"Most of the space on board is pretty tight, as any of you know if you've been on any kind of ship, submarine – or old RV for that matter. The large room we arrived in is used mostly for the arrival and departure of large groups and cargos. But we multi-task as much as possible, so it also gets used as a meeting room, cargo storage space, training room, and sometimes as temporary sleeping quarters among other things."

They were allowed to peek into a crew cabin and were told that quarters were shared by 2 to 6 people, and that only the few most-senior crew got their own space – but even their quarters were tiny. Next they saw the mess area, where the crew ate in shifts regardless of rank.

"The bridge or command deck is next, and there isn't enough room for all of us at once, so to keep crowding and sound to a minimum I'll step inside and you can come in by twos."

It wasn't until Rai looked back down the corridor that she realized Jon was at the rear of the group, probably to keep an eye out. He saw her looking and grinned, and she found it impossible not to smile back.

Eric lead the first two just inside the doorway and she knew he was speaking, but his voice was soft enough that she couldn't make out his words. Probably so that they wouldn't disturb those on duty, she guessed. The first two came back out after a few minutes with that shell-shocked-but-thrilled look on their faces that she assumed they all wore by now. The next two went in for their few minutes, then it was her turn.

The bridge, or whatever they called it, was actually larger than she thought it would be. There was what she thought was a large window in front, but after another moment she realized it was a screen. There were a couple small actual view-ports to the sides, and she wished she dared press her nose to one to get a better idea what the ship looked like and how big it was. But she listened to what Eric was saying even as her eyes took in all the details.

She knew there were tons of people with telescopes, not to mention how many governments monitored the skies. How could this ship be in what she assumed was plain sight without raising all kinds of alarms?

"...You might wonder how we can be this close to Earth without being seen by some kid with a telescope... Well, we take advantage of objects that can screen us, such as the larger satellite arrays or as we are right now, the space station. From the ground they spot them and we get lost in the shadows. We do have a cloaking device, but since the program has already been made known to the upper levels of most of the world's governments we don't need to use it now as much as we used to."

On that ambiguous note he herded them back out to let the next two in.

Even with all the information she'd been bombarded with already, Rai still had questions piling up.

They ended up back in the same relatively-large room where they'd arrived, and Rai assumed that's where they'd have their 'sit-down' answer session. She really should have known better.

Instead they found themselves again transported by that bright flash of light to another military-looking room. At least this one was larger and contained several long tables and chairs for everyone. They were also joined by two other small groups of disoriented-looking civilians, also arriving in flashes of bright white light – probably more new recruits like themselves. Maybe all the bizzare shocks so far had desensitized her, but from that point on Rai thought everything started moving along at a much faster pace.

A gray-haired General and a man in unmarked BDUs came in and gave a brief overview of the program they'd been hired into, something called the Stargate program or SGC. The unmarked guy turned out to be a civilian archeologist/anthropoligist that had been with the program for a long time. He gave a short history and explaination of how it came into being and hit the hightlights (his term) of the past eleven years or so. Then the General took over and explained that plans had been made and were in the early stages to make the Stargate – and the fast interstellar travel it made possible – public. It was going to cause a lot of chaos but it was also going to open up a lot of opportunities. There were human civilizations on other planets that wanted to visit Earth, to explore trade options with Earth and other planets, and many had requested teachers and advisors of all sorts to help them re-organize their worlds after thousands of years of slavery.

There were also a good number of uninhabited Earth-like worlds, worlds that might be opened up to settlers - new colonies from Earth or possibly blended Earth and non-Earth humans. But before these worlds could be settled they would need to be explored as well as possible in the time allotted, to provide needed information to would-be settlers about edible flora and fauna, and what could be dangerous or even toxic. They would also be scaned for useful ores, assess land for growing crops, determine climate zones, etc.

Plainly put, they needed an army of people who could multi-task unsupervised across diverse fields.

The strangely-worded ad was starting to make a lot more sense to Rai now.

After that briefing there was a brief question and answer session. It didn't last long. Partly because a lot of their earlier questions had been answered – but perhaps also because they'd been given so much information in such a short period of time they couldn't focus on anything yet.

At the back of the room several people in BDUs waited. As the General and the man she now knew as Dr. Jackson left, those in uniform began to break the group up into smaller groups to be taken to the mess hall and to be shown to quarters where they could sleep. The quarters were all in a loup of corridor and in the open area in the middle there was a sort of lounge area set up for their use, with a television and a large wall shelf full of movies, some of which they were told were digital videos taped on missions offworld.

Rai found herself in a very small group – only three people – guided by the man she knew as Jon. Evidently they were all pilots of some sort. Rai and the two newbie pilots dropped off their bags in a room bunks, with apologies from Jon for having to share the small space with men. But their room had a bathroom with a door and her sleepwear wasn't risque so she wasn't bothered. Then they headed to get something to eat.

The mess hall was not all big, even though Rai had the impression the facility they were in was much larger than they'd been shown so far. Jon guided them through the food line and led them to a table a little to the side of the others.

He wanted to get their reactions. After they'd had a little time to eat he brought up the subject of flying and asked each one of them their qualifications and experience. Then he explained that they were some of the first pilots to be hired. As such, at first they might be assigned to do less-than-esciting work - fetch and carry diplomats and officials on Earth; ferry people from one place to another through the Gate – especially groups with equipment larger than they could carry, or who needed to travel farther from the Gate than was practical to walk; etc. But eventually more options would open up, including being the pilot of one of the exploration teams sent to explore and evaluate the uninhabited worlds they'd found on the Gate system. The point he was trying to make was that they had options. They could stay where they started if they liked it, or they could transfer as new areas opened up.

He answered as many questions as they could think up, even though some of his answers they didn't really understand. But he'd succeeded in breaking the ice between them so that they'd be comfortable coming to him with questions or concerns.

After they ate he had one last surprise for them. Since their group was small he got them into the Operations-level conference room overlooking the Gate room. The blast shutters were open so they could watch the Gate in action. It seemed to be a busy time as they were able to watch a diplopatic team and then a geology team return, and another team loaded with camping gear depart. Rai was sure the three of them looked like children with their noses plastered to the glass, straining to see every little detail - but Jon watched almost as avidly and patiently answered more questions.

Finally they were herded back to their quarters for the night. Too wound up to sleep right away, they joined stragglers from several other groups that were lingering in the lounge area talking excitedly. From what Rai could tell, everyone was still psyched to be here – she didn't see anyone that looked like they wanted out yet. Jon and Eric and a couple others Rai didn't have names for had hung around to chat, answer questions, and probably make sure no one wandered off.

People were winding down and some had headed to their bunks when Jon, Eric, and the others suddenly straightened – not _quite_ to attention, but it was obvious that the older silver-haired man that casually wandered in was someone important.

"Hi, kids," he greeted cheerfully. "How's it going?"

Jon grinned. "Pretty well so far, sir. You couldn't stay away, huh?"

The older man made a funny hand gesture. "I was in the neighborhood... And I was curious – did you find anyone of _particular_ interest in this group?"

"One, sir. Rai Taylor – she has a pilot's license and everything."

The older man beamed at her. "That's great! Did you let her try the trainer?"

"Yep – and she's a natural. Not quite as quick off the mark as Sheppard, or you or me - but then she doesn't have our backgrounds."

"Great, great!" He stuck his hand out and Rai shook it, feeling a little bemused. "I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you in the next few days, Ms. Taylor. Glad to have you."

"Call me Rai, sir...I'm afraid I didn't get your name."

"I'm Jack."

Jon broke in, almost but not quite rolling his eyes. "Rai, this is General Jack O'Neill."

THAT name she did remember from their brief oral history lecture. Jack O'Neill had led the very first team through the Gate – along with Dr. Daniel Jackson who it now occurred to her was _the Dr. Jackson_ who'd provided their lecture. They were the very backbone of the SGC, half of the premiere team called SG-1 that had made first contact with so many worlds and civilizations...and saved the world on several occasions. It was enough to boggle her mind.

Jack was frowning and now Jon was grinning, and Rai finally noticed the resemblance. Relatives?

"Well, I've got to get going before the little woman sends out a search party again. I'll see you tomorrow before they beam you home, I hope."

As Jack turned away, Jon snorted. "You'd better hope Carter doesn't hear you call her that again. You remember what happened last time."

General O'Neill muttered something under his breath as he left that had Jon smirking, but by then Rai's day was catching up in a big way.

"Thank you for everything today, Jon," she said, "but I think I'm going to get some sleep. Do we need to be up at a certain time?"

"Sorry – the others were told while we took our little side trip... A couple Airmen will come around knocking on doors around 0700 as a wake-up call and you'll have about 20 minutes to get ready. Then everyone will gather in the lounge until we come to escort you to the mess at 0730. What happens after that will depend. Some of the group will be transported back to their pickup locations, and some we will want to talk to a little more before they head back."

Rai started to turn towards her bunkroom but then turned back, remembering one question. "What about all the other applicants? The ones at the interviews in Olathe, and I'm guessing in other places, too?"

Jon nodded. "Some of them we don't feel would be a good fit for the program at this time, and some not at all. Others we will approach in shall we say more conventional ways, because they will fit better in some of the more mundane jobs. Others will be offered positions soon, but they will be brought along more slowly as they will need more or different training, and some of them may not be able to handle the idea that 'we are not alone'. The groups here today were the cream of several large job fairs. Not just anyone can handle what this group has today."

"I can understand that," she said with a smile. "Thank you – I really enjoyed getting to see that last _attraction_. Goodnight."

"Sleep well."

Rai entered her assigned bunkroom quietly. There were three of them sharing it – herself and the two men, but there were three sets of bunks so no one was stuck with a top bunk. Rai had left her bag on her bunk; the two men seemed to be already asleep, their bags on their top bunks. A dim bathroom nightlight was left on with the door ajar – the only light in the room as there were no windows in the concrete walls.

She took her bag into the bathroom with her for convenience, noting as she closed the door that there was a second switch for a much brighter light. She didn't need it as she changed into her night clothes – a plain tank top and shorts – and used one of the provided facecloths to wash her face. She hadn't worn makeup – didn't really need it, for which she was always grateful as it had lately not been in her budget. Her hair was dark brown, long and slightly wavy, and her skin pale gold thanks to her Japanese grandmother. But although her eyes had a slight almond tilt to them, they were the dark blue of the rest of her family. She was about average height – not quite 5'6" and just a bit on the skinny side right now. Fairly average inlooks, she thought – not really pretty but not ugly either. But she'd better get some sleep or she'd have circles under her eyes tomorrow!

She rolled and stashed her worn clothes in the bottom of her bag and repacked, then carried everything to her bunk. She laid out her clothes for morning on the upper bunk, sat her open bag on the floor against the head of her bunk out of the way, then crawled into the bed. The sheets were a little scratchy and the pillow on the flat side, but it didn't seem to matter. She went right to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer from first chapter applies to all chapters of this story.**_

**New Opportunities 3**

**o-O-o**

Rai woke at the faint sound of knocking. It was followed a moment later by another series of knocks; it was their wake-up call but the messenger was still several doors away. She pushed her blanket aside to sit up and saw that one of the men she'd shared the room with was already in the bathroom. The other didn't wake up until the airman knocked loudly on their door.

She turned the room light on and was sitting on the side of her bunks when the first man came out of the bathroom, fully dressed but with damp hair. He mumbled good morning, tucked his shave kit back in his bag, and left the room to gather with the others in the lounge as they'd been instructed.

The other man was propped up on one elbow. He looked over at Rai and cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't plan to shower," Rai told him, " so if you give me about five minutes I'll leave the bathroom to you."

"Sounds good," he said. His voice was rough the way some people's are first thing in the morning and it made Rai want to smile. She got the impression he was not a morning person.

She went through a quick version of her morning bathroom routine then vacated it for her other roommate. As soon as he closed the bathroom door she stripped off her nightclothes and dressed for the day. The loose braid she'd worn to bed was undone, her hair brushed and quickly twisted into a neat bun. She'd done it so often she didn't need a mirror. She put on a little lip balm and stuck the tube in her pocket along with her little wallet, zipped her purse into her pack, then left it on her bunk as she went to join the others.

Her second roommate joined the group only a few minutes before their escorts arrived; Jon and Eric again, but this time joined by a handful of others. They were all dressed in BDUs with rank isnignia, none of which Rai recognized. She suspected Jon and Eric were higher ranking but she was only guessing by their actions. Probably learning the insignias and rank order was something she'd need to do soon if she'd be working with military personnel.

Breakfast in the mess hall was loud. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces besides the still-dazed newbie groups, probably people that actually worked here. Maybe some of them were members of the working SG teams. It was kind of exciting! The food was typical cafeteria offerings for the most part, though, so it sort of balanced out.

After breakfast newbie ranks began to thin out. Someone in uniform would show up, call a few people to them and lead them away. She wondered if they were going home already or if they were going to other interview-type meetings.

Rai found herself singled out by an unfamiliar uniformed young man and escorted to room that had the appearance of something medical – not only by the equipment and familiar hospital beds in the far end of the room, but also by the the people in scrubs or white coats worn over uniforms. A dark-haired woman introduced herself as Dr. Lam, the CMO of the facility, and that she'd been asked to give her a physical.

She was taken a little off-guard, but Dr. Lam assured her it was all standard, a screening done for anyone going off-world – or _returning from _off-world – and she went about it all with quick efficiency in an alcove with privacy curtains. Other than having a small vial of blood drawn, it wasn't as invasive as Rai had expected as one of the machines that hovered over her while she lay flat on a gurney was some sort of very sophisticated diagnostic device. Part of her wanted to know if it was alien technology but she didn't ask.

She was sitting up on the gurney swinging her feet slightly when she spotted Jon coming in. He looked relieved when he saw her as if he'd been looking for her. Then he rolled his eyes at a strident voice that seemed to be following him in.

Actually, there were two men following Jon. One was sturdily built with thinning hair and was the owner of the Voice. The other one was taller and lanky and gave the impression he was just following the loud guy for his own amusement although he was wearing a uniform of sorts. It seemed to be a vairation of BDU, mostly black with bits of gray instead of the BDUs she'd been seeing. He seemed very relaxed and his hair was sticking up every which way – if he was military she wondered how he got away with that.

The loud man was wearing a similar uniform, only his was gray with blue parts.

Jon rolled his eyes when the two men followed on his heels directly to her gurney. Rai wondered if she should get to her feet or stay where she was.

"Rumor has it you found another carrier. Is that true? Did you test him yet?" from the loud man.

"McKay," the tall dark-haired man said in a soothing voice. "They just got here last night. And since we're standing in front of a woman I'm thinking maybe the 'he' might actually be a 'her'."

"Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay, this is Rai Taylor, the new person I believe you're interested in. Dr. Lam is waiting for the results of her medical tests but I can already tell you she has the gene. _And_...she has a pilot's license; single-engine, instrument rated. She tried the simulator yesterday and did great."

Both the newcomers perked up at the news, although Rai wasn't sure why they were making such a big deal out of her pilot's license. Or what in the heck they meant by her having a gene. Didn't everyone have genes? DNA?

Dr. Lam chose to return just then carrying a thin data tablet, frowning at the men crowding her patient. "I might have known you'd decend like locusts." Turning to Rai she said, "Ms. Taylor, you are in excellent health even though you're a little low on a few vitamins. Some supplements will take care of that." Then she turned back to the men. "And yes, she _does_ have a strong expression of the ATA gene – nearly as strong as yours. But you'll have to wait your turn with her as several other divisions have also shown interest."

"But...but...but-" Dr. McKay started to protest. Colonel Sheppard just caught his arm and began to tow him from the room.

"Don't worry, Rodney. We're here for a few more days and you'll get your chance..." Distance swallowed the rest of what he said and Rai's forehead crinkled slightly.

"Should I be worrying?" she asked Jon as Dr. Lam walked away, making notes on her pad.

"Nah. McKay sounds like a kook sometimes but he's actually fairly brilliant. He's just anxious to find another pilot that can fly the prototype craft he built – someone _besides_ Sheppard, me, or General O'Neill. Ideally, the craft will become the vehicles used for the exploration teams, and since he's based them on the Ancient's Gateships – or as Sheppard calls them, puddle-jumpers – he needs pilots with the gene to fly them. It took him years to decipher and reproduce the genetic interface, a huge accomplishment in itself as it makes the ship very easy to fly. But right now his interface will only work with the natural gene so if we can't find enough gene-carriers that we can teach to fly he's got to come up with some major revisions to let regular pilots control them."

"And this 'gene' you refer to is...?"

"Oh. Well, we call it the ATA or Ancient gene. It's pretty rare, and not to put too fine a point on it, it means that somewhere 'way back at the beginnings of your family tree there's an ancestor not originally from Earth."

"I have alien DNA?" Okay, that was a freaky thought.

Jon held up thumb and forefinger nearly touching. "Just a tiny bit. General O'Neill and me, Colonel Sheppard, Dr. Beckett – who was the first to isolate the particular gene – and Dr. Parrish, among others in the SGC, all have it natuarally. Dr. McKay actually has it via a gene therapy that Dr. Beckett developed. The artificially-introduced gene works well enough for most applications but not as well for others, so we're always interested in finding new natural gene carriers."

"How did you know I have this gene before Dr. Lam did her tests?"

"The hand plate in the simulator – it lights up blue-white for gene carriers. For everyone else it would just have turned green. It was kind of a cheat to pre-test like that, but McKay is driving everyone crazy with his prototype craft and General O'Neill was starting to worry we wouldn't find anyone anytime soon. Of the dozen or so pilots that we've found so far, you're the only ATA-positive."

Rai had gotten over the alien-DNA shock and was starting to be able to think again. "So, I'm a possible candidate to pilot one of the...um...craft designed for exploring unpopulated planets?"

"Yes. We're not to that point yet, though, and McKay may manage to get the quirk out of his interface that keeps those with the DNA therapy from being able to fly them which would allow a lot more potential pilots. The ship is still in the prototype stage; Sheppard can fly it now but they're continuing to refine the design. And just because you **do** have the gene you don't _have_ to be on an exploration team; it will just be one of the job options open to you when they put that phase into operation. In the meantime we'll you'll do general training, learn some history of the SGC and our non-human allies, and about the human and non-human civilizations on other planets. We'll also have you take a few trips through the Stargate with some veteran teams to get your feet wet and get some practical feet-on-the-ground off-world experience. And I'm pretty sure O'Neill and Sheppard want to train you to fly one of the original Gateships."

While Rai was trying to take all that in, Jon motioned for her to hop off the gurney and come with him. He didn't walk fast, letting her take her time as if he understood that most of her attention was on sorting through all the new information. They walked in companionable silence back to the mess hall, which seemed to be the best place for the newbies to hang out. It was much quieter now, with only a few scattered tables occupied. Jon led the way to the coffeepots, grabbed a couple wrapped cookies from a basket, and led her to a small table.

"So, is General O'Neill in charge of this program?" she asked finally, still trying to get everything she'd learned straight in her head.

"Not technically. But, he's one of only a handfull of people that have been with the Stargate program from the very beginning. He was the commander of the first SG team, SG-1, until he was made General and put in charge of the SGC. He served here until he got kicked upstairs to Homeworld Security, where he oversaw all operations that dealt with off-world – the SGC, the space-capable fighter planes, the starships, relations with our off-world allies, et cetera. He's mostly retired now but he can't stay away as most of our allies prefer dealing with him, so he serves as an advisor. Fortunately for all concerned, he's a good man and extremely good at what he does, and those currently in charge take his suggestions seriously."

"And Colonel Sheppard?"

"Oh, he's in command of another part of the program altogether. That's a long, crazy, complicated story, and I'd rather leave that one for later."

She grinned. "Okay. So, where do you fit into all this? And are you related to General O'Neill? Because you sort of look alike."

The last question had Jon choking on his coffee, coughing and then laughing. "Well. That's another long freaky story but I'll give you the short version. Back when General O'Neill was still a Colonel in command of SG-1, a rogue Asgard scientist by the name of Loki kidnapped him to study his genes. Loki had done this before to other Earth people, who didn't seem to actually go missing because Loki would clone them, leave the clone in their place, then swap them back after about a week. But Jack had met and was sort of friends with Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet, and Thor had put some sort of genetic marker in Jack's genes so he couldn't be cloned in the 'normal' way – and when Loki tried, the clone didn't mature past a teenager about 15 years old. He had all Jack's memories and thought he WAS Jack – and I'm sure you can imagine how much trouble it stirred up around here when a kid tried to get on base claiming he was Colonel O'Neill. SG-1 figured it out and caught Loki, then called Thor to take care of the problem. The clone was genetically unstable and would die without help. Loki intended to just let the clone expire but instead Jack asked Thor to fix him. That was me. I'm Jack O'Neill's clone."

Rai was sure her mouth was hanging open.

"Yeah. It was a little weird – for Jack and me, both. I ended up going back to high school while I waited to age at the normal rate. I explored a few alternate career options but ended up coming back to the Air Force and the SGC because I missed it. Very few people ever knew about me. Most of the people here think I'm Jack's nephew or cousin or something, it explains the resemblance."

"That's... Well... I think that's the wildest thing I've heard yet! But you left out where you fit in – what do you do in this whole..." she made a circular motion with her hand, and then did it again, not sure what word to use.

"In the program as a whole? Well, remember they were taking steps to make the Stargate public? They're building what Jack calls a 'travel plaza' over in Kansas, up near the Nebraska border. It will actually be an entire city built out in what's now the middle of nowhere dedicated to the Stargate and travel to, from, and through it,. They found a pretty good sized chunk of land that is unsuitable for farming or ranching but a pretty good location for this city. They've got this place planned out from the bowels of the place on up and have already broken ground. Jack stuck me with being in charge of it once it's in operation. I'm not sure if it's because it's something _he'd_ like to do, or if it's some form of revenge..."

"Wow." She tried to picture an entire city revolving around off-planet travel but her imagination failed her. "But the Stargate is here..."

"It can and will be moved – it has before. That will be the last step, though. They want to have everything in the city operational and ready before that move is made. And once it's in place and tested, a series of formal announcements will make it the whole shebang public. And _my_ headaches will just be beginning."

"You'll love it."

"It'll be a logistical nightmare."

She grinned again. "A hughe challenge. And you'll do a great job. Who knows you better than Jack? So, what will it be called? Can you tell me more about this travel-plaza city?"

Jon looked like he'd like to, but then glanced at his watch and sighed. "You'll have to give me a rain-check on that," he said. "It's time for you to see Colonel Davis. He's in charge of hiring and supervising the training of our civilian personnel, and he needs to talk to you and make things official before we go much further."

"Fine. But I'm holding you to that rain-check."

**o-O-o**

Colonel Davis had a fairly small office, but next to it was a warren of cubicles and smaller offices where his subordinates handled paperwork, background checks, training schedules, and more. Jon introduced them, told Davis that she had many talents but was also a pilot with the gene. Then Davis waved Jon out, saying he'd call for him when he was done with her.

Davis was about average height, slim build, nice looking, with dark hair just showing silver at the temples. He put Rai at ease quickly, then sat down with her and went through the reams of paperwork necessary for civilian contractors. First he went back through the NDA she'd already signed, explaining that once the program was made public _parts_ of her job would be okay to talk about, but not everything she'd learned, seen, or heard. Guidelines would be spelled out for all personnel beforehand so there would be no misunderstandings.

Then there was her background check. It was already complete – Eric had gotten that ball rolling as soon as he learned she had a pilot's license, just in case. Davis verified the information on it, then gave her a form to fill out for next of kin and medical proxy in case of emergencies, and told her that either or both could be changed as needed.

Next door he showed her a room like a study carrell, with packets of information that gave simple descriptions of the various positions available now, in the near future, and several years down the road. The packets were available for her to sit down and go through while she was on base, he said, but they could not be taken off base.

Back at his desk he opened a file. He or one of his staff had already gone through all of her 'qualifications' – her list of jobs and crafts and hobbies – and had put together a list of positions she would be qualified for, and how much training they estimated would be needed for each position. The length of the list was yet another surprise for Rai.

The normal run-of-the-mill paperwork of hiring was almost a relief, the filling out of what was basically a job application form for their files and the various tax forms helped her get her mental balance back.

The last thing they discussed was pay. Davis made sure she understood that anything in the way of clothing, shoes, and equipment necessary for her to do her job would be provided, as would room and board. He was honest and said that at first she'd probably be in a barracks or some sort of military housing with food provided through a mess hall. As the program progressed through it's phases, however, living options would probably change depending on what position she worked.

When he paused to see if she had questions, Rai guiltily broke in. "I hate to be crass and ask about money, but I owe rent and have two unemployed roommates and a very tolerant landlady who's barely getting by herself. Can you give me some idea how much I will be making? The least amount is all I need to know."

The Colonel was very understanding. "I understand. You'll be paid a reduced salary during training, but keep in mind this is take-home pay before taxes – your living quarters, uniforms, and meals will be provided." And he named a sum that let Rai take a relieved breath. She could afford to support her friends and still have a little walking-around money left over even during training.

She smiled. "Is there a dotted line I need to sign?"

Davis chuckled and pulled out a final form. There was a standard one-year contract for new hires, with evaluations on both sides after training and also after any incident that might cause them to change their minds. The NDA would still bind them, but there were points named under which the contract could be dissolved by either side. He filled in the pertinent data and she read over it and signed.

"So, when would you like to start?" he asked.

Rai sat back and thought a moment. "I need to let my roommates and landlady know I'm taking a job- can I tell them it involves traveling? Is there anything specific I should pack to bring or not allowed to bring, and where do I report for work?"

Davis ticked the answers off on his fingers, as if it was a common question. "You can bring personal clothes for off-duty – jeans and whatever for if you go off-base to eat or shop, leisure and maybe exercise clothes. If you have a personal computer, camera, phone, etc, you can bring them but there will be times and places they're not allowed to be on. Telling your friends, family, etc that your new job involves a lot of travel is actually a good idea – please let them know you may be hard to reach but you'll call when you can. If you have a cell phone they can leave voice messages or you can use a message line on base, and you're free to make calls when you're off duty and 'home'. You'll just have to watch what you say about work. As for reporting – if you want to drive your car you can, there are parking areas available and you can report when you arrive. But if you don't want to bring a vehicle we can pick you up when you're ready."

She thought a moment longer, making a mental to-do list. "I'll leave most of my stuff for my roommates, including my car," she said. "If I just need clothes and some personal things. Can you tell me where I will be training, or at least what the weather should be like? And how much storage space is typical?"

"You will be training here at least for the first phase – and 'here' is in Colorado, in the mountains, so it will be getting cold soon. And if you end up in a barracks you'll probably be two to a room, so you should have a small closet, a chest of drawers, and there is usually enough space under the beds for footlockers. Does that help?"

She smiled. "Yes it does. I can be ready to go 24 hours after I get home."

The Colonel raised his eyebrows and then looked at the clock. "It's almost time for lunch, and I know there are a few people who want a chance to talk to you before we send you back... If we can get you home by ten tonight, you think you can be ready by midnight tomorrow night? "

"It should be no problem – I can be ready," she said with a nod.

"Okay, then, we'll plan on that. We'll have someone pick you and your luggage up. And don't worry if you want to go back and get something later – you will have downtime and can take trips during them. We may need to reach you in case of emergency, though."

"That sounds fine."

He stood then, and offered his hand.

"Welcome aboard."

**o-O-o**

As promised, Colonel Davis called Jon, who collected her and took her to get some lunch. There were still a few recruits whose faces she remembered among the people in the mess hall, but not very many. Shortly after they sat down with their trays, their table was invaded by the loud Dr. McKay, Colonel Sheppard, and General O'Neill. It felt bizarre to Rai that she seemed to be of such interest to these people, and it was a little disconcerting.

The General, who'd taken the seat next to her, handed her a little round patch that looked almost like a 'spot' band-aid. "Have you ever used one of these?" he asked.

Since she didn't know what it was, she shook her head.

"It's a motion-sickness patch – you peel the backing off and stick it on the skin behind your ear. It will help keep your stomach where it belong for the next 24 hours. McKay lobbied loudest to have your time this afternoon so you might need it."

"You won't need it _right_ after lunch," Colonel Sheppard drawled, giving McKay a hard look. "We aren't that mean."

Rai took the little thing from the General and did as he'd instructed, placing it behind her ear. As she did she shot Jon a questioning look but he just gave a minute shrug.

As they ate, the small group made innocuous small talk – the 'where are you from' and 'what's your favorite movie' sort of conversation. Then Jon caught her eye and smirked, and with perfect timing he mentioned Rai's question about his resemblance to Jack just as the General took a drink of his coffee. Jack snorted coffee and had a coughing fit, Jon was quietly laughing his ass off, Sheppard (whose name was John, she'd learned) was hiding a grin behind his own cup. Rodney just looked pained.

"Sure, fine," McKay bitched. "Rub it in."

Rai didn't get it, so Sheppard explained. "It took a year for Rodney to catch the resemblance. I keep telling him he shouldn't feel bad – there are people who see them every day that still haven't noticed." Rodney started to look slightly mollified until Sheppard added, "Of course, they never see them in the same room..."

That pretty much broke up lunch.

General O'Neill took Jon with him citing some sort of planning meeting, leaving Rai with Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay. Sheppard was lingering over a chocolate muffin in spite of McKay's brazen pushiness to hurry up, until finally McKay snapped, reached over and grabbed the last third of the muffin and stuffed it into his own mouth.

"There, NOW can we go?"

-**o-O-o**

Their first destination was two long elevator rides and a short car ride away, a large warehouse-type building still inside the fenced area of the base. There were armed guards at the door and McKay and Sheppard used a palm-plate ID thing and signed Rai in with the second guard. Inside was what she guessed was McKay's prototype craft, as a large odd-looking metal _thing_ took up a large part of the middle of the floor with bits and parts and cable stringing out from various areas all around it.

So far Rai had heard numerous people talk about flying the prototype craft, but it didn't have any wings, propellors or rotors. As far as she could see, it didn't have wheels, tracks, or even skis, either. Hovercraft, maybe?

McKay was expecting some sort of comment along those lines, evidently, because he immediately said, "Yes, no wings. It has retractable drive pods, which at the moment are retracted."

"Okay," Rai said. "I'll take your word for it, as I've never seen anything like it. You're building this from scratch?"

That seemed to take away some of McKay's irritability. "This first one, yes, we're having to build it by hand and make modifications and adjustments as we go along."

"Jon mentioned that it's based on something the Ancients built, and you figured it out. It sounds incredible"

"It is," Sheppard answered for McKay, clapping him on the back. "Even more amazing is that he has been able to duplicate it so closely on the first actual build."

McKay did something with his chin and shoulders that seemed to be both shrugging off the compliment and preening at the same time, which make Rai smile.

"So what do you want me to do? I tried that simulator and did okay, but that was a _simulator_..."

"Rodney wants to try the interfaces on you," Sheppard said. "Don't worry – the drives are manually offline so you can't take off accidentally."

"Yes, yes, we don't want any more accidents," Rodney said as he herded her toward the open door toward the middle of the thing.

Inside was a skeleton of metal supporting the outer skin and a floor of metal with some sort of textured coating. Conduit and bundles of colored wires ran front to back, and frames stood where something would be added later. The pilot and copilot seats were present. The control panels looked a lot like those in the simulator, although these looked rough and unfinished. Wires ran from underneath the panels to a two laptops standing open and ready on a small folding table in the empty space behind the pilot's seat. An empty crate served as a chair.

"Ms. Taylor, if you would sit in the pilot seat, please," McKay gestured as he headed for the computers. "Sheppard, sit shotgun but try not to think."

"Right."

Rai sat down, carefully avoiding the trailing wires. "You can call me Rai, Dr. McKay. Or just Taylor if it makes it simpler for you."

"As in R-a-y, or-?" Sheppard asked as he took the other seat.

"R-a-i," she answered. "My grandmother chose it - it's a Japanese name."

"It means 'trusted'," he told her with a small smile. "Did she tell you that?"

Rai looked at him in surprise. "No, she didn't. I always assumed it had to do with the sun; she always called me sunshine."

From behind them, Rodney cleared his throat. "Okay, I think everything's ready to start. Sheppard?"

"I'm as closed off as I can be."

"Oookay... Rai, please think 'lights on'."

Rai tried, but nothing happened. She frowned, and so did Rodney. Sheppard interrupted.

"Okay, this is really hard to explain, Rai... But close your eyes and sort of feel around in your mind. You ought to feel something that seems to be reaching out to you." He waited as she did what he said. "Try to relax," he added.

Sheppard and McKay remained silent and still, giving Rai space and time to try. It took a few minutes but finally she felt something that sounded like what Sheppard had described.

"I think I found it," she said quietly.

"Good. Now aim your mind at that if you can, and think 'lights on'."

After another heartbeat the lights came on inside the craft, and Rai grinned excitedly. "I think I did it!"

Then a heads-up display flashed up over the front viewport, making her flinch backwards a bit. "What...?"

"That's the heads-up display," Sheppard explained patiently with a slight smile. "It can show you sensor readings, speed and direction, targeting and so on, and it's also one of the gene-controled functions."

"Oops, sorry. I, ah, wondered what craft this was based on..." she trailed off as she looked in fascination at the moving 3-D rendering of a Gateship, taking in the extended drive pods and watching them retract before it slid through a Stargate. "That's a Gateship?" she asked.

"We call them Jumpers – short for puddlejumpers," Sheppard said lazily with a smirk that made Rodney growl with irritation.

"Tell it to extend the drive pods Rai – and don't worry, remember, they're not active," Rodney said.

Rai did as asked, and heard the faint hum of moving machinery and a soft thunk as they locked into fully-open position.

"Open rear hatch," he went on, and that worked too. So did closing it, closing the side hatch, closing the drive pods, and several other things he had her try. "Okay!" he exclaimed. "It looks good, and she seemed to be able to interface with it quite quickly."

Sheppard was watching her closely. "How do you feel? Got a headache, feel woosy or dizzy?"

She had to think about it, but then she said, "I have a very slight headache – kind of like eyestrain. Is it because I used part of my brain I don't normally use or something?"

He grinned. "Something like that. It gets easier each time, until you won't even have to think about it – like breathing or blinking. When you get to that point you'll feel like the ship is an extension of you. It makes them easy and really fun to fly."

"I can imagine!" she said with a grin.

The two men exchanged glances and Sheppard checked his watch. "Actually, if you're willing, we can take a quick trip to the Beta site and let you try the real thing."

"Where?"

"Off-world. Go through the Stargate," Rodney clarified bluntly. "That's what the patch is for. A lot of people find their first trip through the Stargate a unsettling...and we don't want that to happen to you since we have a limited amount of time today. Also, we don't want to scare you off."

"Don't I have to be cleared before I can go through the Stargate?"

"You already had your physical," Rodney said smugly, "and we have permission from General O'Neill and General Adams."

Then Sheppard took it up. "There's a crew headed to the Beta site today, and the crew they're relieveing have agreed to delay their return for an extra hour so we can grab a little flight time on the Jumper stashed there."

"Okay. What do I need to do?"

They took her to supply and got her a set of BDUs and boots, then showed her to the locker room designated for women.

"Grab any empty locker and stash your clothes – they'll be fine until we get back."

She hesitatied only a moment to look at them. "Don't you have to change before you go off-world, too?"

"Technically," Sheppard drawled, "We _are_ off-world. We don't live here anymore."

That bought up a whole lot more questions she wanted to ask but Rai bit them back. She changed clothes quickly and stashed her clothes in the first empty locker she found, memorizing the number above it. Rodney was waiting for her in the hall and handed her a foil packet of asprin and a bottle of water. As soon as she'd swallowed them she saw Sheppard coming toward them wearing a multi-pocketed vest with a pistol in a holster strapped down to his thigh. It made her think of old westerns. But oddly, on him it looked natural, like it was part of him. He handed Rodney a vest and a clip on holster with another pistol. For her he had a vest, which he helped her adjust once she had it on. It was heavy. She could tell the pockets were full and wondered what was in them.

"Sorry, no gun for you today. You don't have quals on them yet."

"Am I likely to need a gun?"

"No, not at the Beta site. I just feel naked going through the Gate without one."

McKay grumbled something too low for her to catch but he clipped the holster on like he'd done it a million times. Sheppard ignored him.

Instead of the leisurely stroll of before, now Sheppard strode down the corridor toward the Gateroom with purpose, his laid-back half-smile replaced with a serious expression.

Rodney turned up the stairs to the conrol room and Sheppard swiped a card that opened the security door into the gateroom. Rodney joined them a minute later, as did a dozen other personnel in uniforms carrying various packs. A few of them smiled at her as if they knew it was her first trip.

"Um, what does it feel like? Going through the Gate," she clarified her question as the huge inner ring began to move with a low rumble.

"It's a little bit like a rollercoaster," Sheppard said. "and it's cold, but it only lasts a couple heartbeats. Sometimes people are a little dizzy when they come out the other side, especially on their first trip. If you want I can hang onto you, or you can hold on to my arm."

McKay snorted but Sheppard again ignored him and continued. "See the ramp there?" he asked, pointing. "The top levels out , then there's a gap where the Stargate sits, then the grating extends about eight feet on the other side of the Gate. Just walk through like you're crossing over to that side of the grating."

She nodded and watched as the ring stopped, clunked, and continued. "Why is it called the Beta site?"

"Because it's the second fall-back base, one of several originally intended to be places the SGC and any other Earth evacuees could retreat to if there was an attack on Earth. The Alpha site is the primary fall-back, and they have a shield on their gate. They've also enclosed it in a building, so it's easier to park the Jumper at the Beta site. Although Sheppard could park one in this room if necessary."

Rai looked around at the room. It was a big room and she wondered how big the gatesh- um, puddle-jumpers were.

"It'd be a tight fit," Sheppard put in.

The Gate clunked again and this time the huge ka-whoosh of water-looking stuff followed, making her jump. Then she blushed because she'd grabbed Sheppard's arm in reaction, but he only smiled at her.

"Hang on. Here we go!" and he stepped forward to follow the others.

Rai watched as those ahead of them just walked into what looked like a curtain of rippling water as if it was nothing. Everyone here did it all the time so it couldn't be that bad... She took a deep breath and didn't hesitate, stepping forward into the shimmering surface with the others.

_**~TBC (to be continued)**_


End file.
